“Cooperatives are an old idea, but they have so much potential for shaping radical futures”

An interview with ICV Creative Resident, entrepreneur, and future zine publisher Austin Robey

Welcome to the latest installment of our Q&A series with our talented Creative Residents! As part of the ICV Creative Residency, we provide brainstorming buddies, creative support, and a stipend to some of the most inspiring entrepreneurs, designers, and engineers — and wait to see what they do with it.

In today’s edition (check out the previous story here), we talk with entrepreneur and advocate Austin Robey, whom you might know as a co-founder of Metalabel. Austin is using his time in the residency to create and publish a physical zine which comprehensively lays out the plan for how to create collectively-owned web platforms. Keep reading to learn why Austin is using physical media to spur digital action, why he believes in collective action, and what continues to inspire his work.

Hi! Can you share a brief introduction — who are you and what do you do?

I’m Austin Robey, an entrepreneur and advocate for collective ownership and solidarity economics. I co-founded Ampled, a cooperatively owned platform for musicians, and was a co-founder of Metalabel. I’ve continued to be obsessed with the idea of platform cooperativism — the application of cooperative ownership to web platforms — which is what I’m working on now.

What are you currently working on as part of the Residency?

Right now, I’m working on a zine. It’s not just any zine though — it’s a comprehensive concrete plan for successfully creating collectively-owned web platforms. It’ll also be an invitation to join the new project I will be announcing soon.

Why the zine format? Why physical, rather than digital?

Zines embody many of the qualities of cooperative enterprises. They’re self-initiated and don’t have to answer to anyone. They typically have small, self-distributed print runs and are motivated by the spreading of ideas or culture. I like the idea of physical publishing, it’s more resilient and anti-fragile than online publishing. Physically published works won’t be erased or inaccessible if a platform dies. Books represent that an idea is important and meant to last.

You mention that you’re interested in “collective internet culture, shared ownership, and new models for the online creative economy.” What do you love most about the collective internet culture?

I believe that artistic practices have the most capacity for systemic change at the organizational level, rather than at the individual level. That’s why I’m inspired by cooperatives, DAOs, unions, guilds, and other more informal collectives — especially as applied to shifting the online distribution of power or value.

What do you hope the online creative economy will look like in 5–10 years? What do you hope dies out to allow for new growth?

I think we’re at the beginning of a slash-and-burn era of online platforms. What I see is a landscape of incumbents that no one really likes. People want replacements, but there are no good ideas for who or what to replace them with, and the existing platforms are hard to defeat because of their resources and network effects. What I call for in the zine I’m building (and hope to demonstrate through it) is a new model for challenging incumbents through the creation of collectively-owned alternatives. Anything less isn’t bold enough to meet the moment we’re in.

How do you find inspiration for what you work on?

I live in New York so I walk a lot. I’d consider walking to be my primary creative habit. This past year, I averaged 15k steps a day. I listen to audiobooks all the time for inspiration. Other places I find inspiration are Arena and Sublime.

I’ve also always been inspired by the work of Caroline Woolard. I’d consider her my favorite entrepreneur/instigator. Some of my favorite projects that she’s been a part of are NYCREIC (New York City Real Estate Investment Cooperative) and art.coop.

I’ve also been following an online bookstore called Tertulia as an interesting model for collective ownership.

What drives your artistic practice, and how does it change over time?

I just want to make a dent in culture. The best leverage point I have to do that is to create a successful cooperative platform. If we can show that it’s possible, I think it can permanently change our online culture and economy for the better. That’s what continues to animate me.

Let’s talk about your process. How do you start approaching an idea?

Architectural design was my major in college. I learned so much from it. You have to solve a problem within constraints, print out your ideas, pin them up on a wall, stand in front of a jury, and tell a story that ties the solution to a larger concept.

I think organizational design or systems design carries many of the same principles of design thinking as architecture.

Let’s talk about tools. What’s in your stack?

My stack: Notion, Mem, Perplexity, Google Docs, Figma, Chat GPT, Twitter, Sublime, and Arena. Right now I’m trying to eliminate Discord! Too many notifications. I’d love for us to all go back to writing in forums.

Can you give us a brief tour of your work station?

I found my desktop on the street. It used to be the takeout counter for a cafe I lived nearby and they were throwing it out. I’m in the middle of doing lots of research and pulling books off of my shelves. The artwork above my desk is by artist Matthew Craven.

Austin’s desk.

How has AI changed your creative process? What do you find most exciting about emerging technologies like AI, ML, and crypto?

Right now is the first time I’ve built something from scratch while AI has been a thing. It’s crazy. With AI as a productivity tool, the degree to which I’m able to scale my efforts is shocking. I think that AI might be a core part of what makes building cooperative platforms possible. Selectively, utilizing AI tools can make building platforms much easier and cheaper! Of course, a lot of AI art does make me queasy. Also, I’ve mostly stopped following crypto! It feels so nice to be out of the loop. Instead, I have been revisiting my interest in the legacy and heritage of cooperative enterprises. The interesting thing about cooperatives is that they are an old idea, but also have so much potential for shaping radical futures.

What are the alternative futures you hope are possible? What’s getting in the way?

I hope that in 5 years, we have a new wave of collectively-owned challengers in every category. I want to see a new paradigm of user-ownership of the web take root, and win.

Any words of advice for other creators like yourself?

Learn the rules so that you can break them.

Stay tuned for more news from Austin as he finishes out the residency. Interested in becoming our next creative resident? Apply here.